CJ Miles Discussion

Most of you have probably heard by now that CJ Miles may be on his way out of town. On July 17th, CJ signed an offer sheet with the Oklahoma City (fill in the blank). The contract offers CJ nearly $4M over the next four seasons. The Jazz will be given until the end of this week to make a decision on Miles. Considering the Jazz had given CJ a qualifying offer of approximately $1.5M, it looks unlikely the Jazz will match the OKC offer.

Before addressing what choices the Jazz have, let's examine CJ's years with the Jazz.

CJ was drafted in the second-round of the 2005 NBA draft (same as DWill). CJ never signed with an NBA agent, which meant he could have played his freshman season at the University of Texas where he had signed a letter of intent prior to declaring for the NBA draft. Despite influence from Jazz officials to go to college (for development), CJ chose to follow the money to the NBA.

Most of CJ's rookie season was spent in Idaho playing for the Jazz Affiliate at the time. While in Boise, CJ stood out as a potential star in the NBA. The Stampede Head Coach at the time offered CJ much praise and even predicted CJ would become a star in the NBA one day. During camp, Miles' teammate Carlos Boozer offered similar praise saying that CJ would become a huge star in the NBA. Jerry Sloan and other Jazz coaches were not quite as generous, but still praised CJ's basketball IQ, especially for his age. Mostly due to strength and consistency issues, CJ spent most of his first two seasons in the D'League.

In the 2007-08 season, CJ found a consistent role with the Jazz. CJ became the "utility infielder" (for lack of a better term). In baseball, most teams keep a utility infielder who can play multiple positions, and fill in for normal starters to give them relief on different nights. If any player on the Jazz went down during the season with an injury or illness, CJ usually was the guy to step in. CJ performed well enough that Coach Jerry Sloan didn't even hesitate to place CJ in the starting lineup (so as not to interfere with the normal rotation). Despite being the Jazz "utility infielder", CJ never was able to move up the depth chart into consistent minutes. Other than utility minutes, CJ only played when the Jazz faced foul trouble or when Gordan Giricek annoyed the Jazz coaches enough to stick him on the end of the bench.

CJ played in 61 games last season, averaging 11 minutes per game. In those 11 minutes, CJ averaged 5.0 ppg, and 1.3 rpg. CJ scored a career-high 29 points against the Washington Wizards on 3/31/08. CJ's greatest attribute is his shooting ability, although he possesses very good athleticism and jumping ability.

In Oklahoma City, CJ may be able to play with less pressure than Utah. Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook all have very high ceilings, and CJ may have found a team with which he can spend many many years, and produce at a consistent level.



So, that leaves essentially three scenarios the Jazz can pursue:

#1). Match the OKC offer for 4 years, $15M total. (unlikely)
#2). Let Miles go untouched to a division opponent, and promote Morris Almond to the backup spot previously occupied by Miles.
or
#3). Explore Sign-and-Trade opportunities

As was stated early in this post, it is unlikely the Jazz will be willing to pay CJ as much as Oklahoma City. That means the Jazz are likely to either let CJ walk, or find a sign-and-trade partner. In a sign-and-trade scenario, the Jazz would match the OKC offer, then immediately turn around and trade him to OKC for something in return.

So who could the Jazz look to get in return?

Untouchable:
Kevin Durant (SG)
Jeff Green (SF)
Russell Westbrook (PG)

Available?
Chris Wilcox (PF) - Wilcox is a freakish athlete and an excellent rebounder. He is in the final year of his contract which makes him much more attractive to other teams. It is highly unlikely that OKC would be willing to part with Wilcox.
Nick Collison (PF/C) - Collison is a very nice player who can play either big position. He has struggled with injuries in the past, but still fills a major role with the Sonics. Given the Sonics deficiencies for big men, I wouldn't expect them to part with Collison.
Earl Watson (PG) - With Russell Westbrook and Luke Ridnour on the roster, Watson may be expendable. If the Jazz were to include Jason Hart in the deal, salaries would match fairly close. This is a real possibility for the Jazz.
Donyell Marshall (PF) - Been there, done that.
Damien Wilkins (SG/SF) - A possibility, though unlikely. Why would the Jazz send Miles for Wilkins. Neither player would make a significant impact next season.
Mouhamed Sene (C) - He was raw and long when he entered the draft, and he's still raw and long. Had he been available when the Jazz picked Ronnie Brewer a couple of years ago, he'd probably be a Jazz man right now. We know the Jazz liked him when he was in the draft, but have they seen enough to know he isn't any good? I think so.
Johan Petro (C) - He's long and has good athleticism. He's been a rotation player since entering the NBA. He's not anything extraordinary, but brings some skills that Jarron Collins does not. That said, he may be a nice addition.
Luke Ridnour (PG) - Luke has been a disappointment for a long time in Seattle. He has shown flashed of being a quality guard in the NBA, but too often leaves fans and teammates longing for more. He's in a contract that isn't favorable to the Jazz, and may have better trade value on the open market.

From the list above, I only see the Jazz interested in Johan Petro, Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox, or Earl Watson. Watson could step in and battle for the backup PG position with Ronnie Price, while the other bigs could contribute as a 4th big off the bench. The question is, how much are you willing to pay a guy who may not get more than 10 mins/night?

The other scenario would have the Jazz receive a future 1st round draft pick (protected) in return for Miles.

***UPDATE***
The Jazz have matched the contract offered to CJ Miles and will retain his rights for 3-4 years. The terms of the offer are not verifiable at this time, but will be posted when made known.